Chambers East was one of the speakers lobbying for greater infrastructure investment in the East of England at yesterday’s Labour Party Conference fringe event in Liverpool. Chambers East brings together the four Chambers of Commerce in the East of England. Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk to lobby with one strong voice on behalf of businesses across the East. Jointly Chambers East has over 485 years of combined experience in supporting businesses and represents 3,550+ business members, employing over 300,000 people. The event was arranged by the East of England All Parliamentary Group and Transport East. Nova Fairbank, the Chief Executive of Norfolk Chambers was representing Chambers East and sat on a panel of speakers along with Daniel Zeichner MP for Cambridge, the CEO of Transport East, CEO of England’s Economic Heartland, the CEO of Freeports East and the Leader of West Suffolk Council. The discussion was facilitated by Andrew Sinclair, Political Editor from the BBC. Among the key asks were the Ely and Haughley rail junctions, further dualling of the A47, investment in the Orwell Bridge and the Lower Thames Crossing. Commenting on the need for greater infrastructure investment, Nova Fairbank said: “Chambers East understands the frustrations being felt across our region, as a result of historic under-investment in our infrastructure. Businesses need certainty and stability in order to create long term investment plans of their own. As outlined in the recent Opportunities East Report, with the right infrastructure investments, we can unlock an East of England economy worth over £220 billion. “At present our region is a net contributor to UK PLC – even with the current under-investment. Imagine how much more we could achieve if we were allocated some much needed targeted funding to help galvanise our ambitions, productivity and ultimately economic growth. That uplift would feed investment across the whole of the UK – far beyond just the East.
